Guo Quanshui, a retired researcher from the Chinese Academy of Forestry, has a strong passion for science. For over twenty years, since his fifties, he has led a team to save a very rare tree called the Thuja sutchuenensis, or the Sichuan cedar. He was so dedicated that he even moved his laboratory to the Xuebaoshan Nature Reserve to be closer to the trees.
The Sichuan cedar is in great danger. “Its wild population is very small, spread over a tiny area, and it grows slowly in poor conditions,” Guo explained. He warned that without help, these trees could disappear due to bad weather or other disasters. Because of this, the tree was listed as one of China’s top 50 “Plant Species with Extremely Small Populations” for protection during the national Five-Year Plan.
Fighting to save the tree, Guo and his team faced a big challenge: how to grow new trees artificially. Every spring, researchers, reserve workers, and local farmers work long hours on a process called cutting. They collect small branches, prepare them carefully with special treatments, and plant them. Through hard work, they solved many technical problems. Ten years ago, fewer than 20% of these cuttings would grow roots. Now, an amazing 96% of them succeed.
Their efforts have grown. Xuebaoshan now has four breeding bases, 18 smart greenhouses, and a large garden for collecting branches. The area has become a national resource center for the tree. Other places have also started using their successful methods. Universities and local experts have joined forces, creating a major research platform for endangered plants in Southwest China.The results are inspiring. The wild Sichuan cedar population has grown to over 10,000 trees. Nearly one million lab-grown trees have been planted back into nature across more than 4,500 acres, where they now reproduce naturally. This large-scale return of a nearly extinct plant is a first in China. In recognition, Thuja sutchuenensis protection technology was selected into the National Forestry and Grassland Administration’s “2024 Top Ten Advances in Chinese Forestry and Grassland Science and Technology”, praised as “providing a Chinese case for global endangered species protection.”
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